Depicting prison life in fictional tv can be a bit variable on what a character goes through, doesn't go through, or gets a little plot armour for. It's not really surprising that this happens with Bode, but I think it varies a bit on what seems like a little too much plot armour for some audience members.
I mean, S1 features an awful lot of people sneaking into Camp Three Rock to talk to Bode after visiting hours, so I can imagine that someone out there has some questions about depicting Bode as a prisoner through S1 and S2. Some of my seriously side-eyeing the narrative point has kicked in more around the deus ex machina release and how Bode's been depicted as a returning citizen. I don't want it to be an unending portrayal of agony or something, but the part I liked around Bode's release was his newly assigned parole officer being upfront that the first 24 to 48 hours out were going to be the hardest and Bode should find something that wasn't drugs (recidivism).
Ideas to think about:
- S2 change that doesn't get Bode out in about one sentence for saving someone's life. Maybe allude to some sort of transitional program.
- S3; devote more than one sentence to returning citizens trying to become firefighters once they're no longer in prison. Sure, this is something that can become outdated later, but Edgewater's training program felt like another deus ex machina move. Did that even exist last season?
- If there's supposed to be a set order to the program and a wait list, I'd like to see Bode actually wait for the next round of Phase 1 instead of jumping straight to Phase 2 of the current round. It'd provide time for him to get through the transitioning into a new life part. (Does he have to share with his parole officer progress on a job hunt? Is his record making apartment hunting even a little bit hard? Has he gotten a new driver's license?)
- Even if Bode gets a relatively easy transition (like Vince offering a part-time job at Smokey's), we could get a little shout-out to some of the groups or California's programs that help with reentry.
- Mention AB 2147?
In September 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2147 into law. This law allows former non-violent incarcerated people who participated in a CDCR conservation camp to have their records expunged. As a result, barriers are removed so they can seek jobs as firefighters in the community. The new law went into effect on January 1, 2021. - AB 2147: Expedited expungement for former fire crew members.
- Send Bode off to Ventura instead of keeping him in Edgewater?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 08:04 am (UTC)Depicting prison life in fictional tv can be a bit variable on what a character goes through, doesn't go through, or gets a little plot armour for. It's not really surprising that this happens with Bode, but I think it varies a bit on what seems like a little too much plot armour for some audience members.
I mean, S1 features an awful lot of people sneaking into Camp Three Rock to talk to Bode after visiting hours, so I can imagine that someone out there has some questions about depicting Bode as a prisoner through S1 and S2. Some of my seriously side-eyeing the narrative point has kicked in more around the deus ex machina release and how Bode's been depicted as a returning citizen. I don't want it to be an unending portrayal of agony or something, but the part I liked around Bode's release was his newly assigned parole officer being upfront that the first 24 to 48 hours out were going to be the hardest and Bode should find something that wasn't drugs (recidivism).
Ideas to think about:
- S2 change that doesn't get Bode out in about one sentence for saving someone's life. Maybe allude to some sort of transitional program.
- S3; devote more than one sentence to returning citizens trying to become firefighters once they're no longer in prison. Sure, this is something that can become outdated later, but Edgewater's training program felt like another deus ex machina move. Did that even exist last season?
- If there's supposed to be a set order to the program and a wait list, I'd like to see Bode actually wait for the next round of Phase 1 instead of jumping straight to Phase 2 of the current round. It'd provide time for him to get through the transitioning into a new life part. (Does he have to share with his parole officer progress on a job hunt? Is his record making apartment hunting even a little bit hard? Has he gotten a new driver's license?)
- Even if Bode gets a relatively easy transition (like Vince offering a part-time job at Smokey's), we could get a little shout-out to some of the groups or California's programs that help with reentry.
- Mention AB 2147?- Send Bode off to Ventura instead of keeping him in Edgewater?